Will County crash kills resident, uncovers pot-growing operation

Liam FordTribune reporter

The crash of a neighbor’s car into a Lockport-area home this afternoon killed one of the residents of the house and uncovered a marijuana-growing operation, police said.

Killed was Zachary Isenberg, 28, of the 400 block of Connor Street in unincorporated Will County, who was pinned under the car after it crashed into the front of the home he lived in and came to rest at the back of the house, said Will County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Ken Kaupas.

The driver of the car, a 63-year-old woman who lives across the street, got into her 1995 Mercury Marquis with a passenger and started to back out of her driveway about 12:15 p.m., Kaupas said. The woman told investigators her gas pedal stuck, causing her to drive at a high speed in reverse and hit the house Isenberg lived in, Kaupas said.

Isenberg apparently had been in the front part of the home when the car hit, and was found under the car when emergency crews responded to the scene after getting 911 calls about 12:17 p.m., Kaupas said.

Isenberg was killed in the crash. Neither the driver nor her passenger suffered serious injuries, but the driver was taken to Silver Cross Hospital in Joliet following the crash to be evaluated, and because of the seriousness of the crash.

There was no indication whether the crash was alcohol-related, and physical evidence obtained during accident investigation indicate the driver was correct when she said the gas pedal stuck, Kaupas said.

As fire crews were checking in the home to see if anyone else was inside who might be injured, they came upon a locked door, and broke it down, Kaupas said. Inside, they found about 30 immature marijuana plants, each about 3 feet tall, Kaupas said.

The plants were being raised with grow lights and an indoor watering system, Kaupas said.

The home is owned by a relative of Isenberg’s roommate, Kaupas said.

No charges have been filed in relation to the crash or the grow operation. Will County sheriff’s officers continue to investigate, and a decision likely will be made the middle of next week on whether to cite or charge the driver.

Authorities had not removed the car from the home as of this evening, because investigators fear the house will collapse if the car is moved, Kaupas said.